Opening Act: New Values

Opening Act: New Values

Opening Act: New Values

Attendees sing the National Anthem during The Family Research Council (FRC) Action Values Voter Summit on September 14, 2012, in Washington, DC. The summit is an annual political conference for US social conservative activists and elected officials. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GettyImages)

Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GettyImages

I'll be spending the bulk of the day at the annual Values Voter Summit, a joint production of the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, and the American Family Association. Stay tuned for reports on the last big confab for social conservatives before everybody goes out and votes.

I asked Ryan about the gap between the pile of policy proposals and the perception that the campaign is lacking detail or ideas. He joked that he was learning a new word — “narrativizing,” meaning that “our opponents or some in the media” are feeding a story line at odds with the facts. He said firmly that “Mitt Romney has put out more specifics on on policies, more details on the budget . . . than the president of the United States, and certainly the Senate,” pointing to his energy, budget and tax policies, along with others.

I'm a huge fan of Hanna Rosin's book, but I still enjoy watching people get apopleptic about The Atlantic.